Days of red grass
by Valkian
Summary: One shot. When Theta sneaks out of the Academy one day he knows he's being followed. Based on a quote from End of Time. No spoilers. Doctor/Master.


**A/N** This was purely for fun, written on a long train journey not long after "The End of Time: Part 1" aired. I don't own anything in the Whoniverse, though I would like to visit it sometime. Anyone got a TARDIS?

If you don't like slash, then don't read. I'm not forcing this on you, I just wanted to give my view of the 'pastures of red grass'. If you don't agree, then that's your right and I respect that. Please respect my right to disagree with you and don't troll my reviews. :-)

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Time at the Academy was well spend – ever learning, studying, growing. Past, present, and future flowing together in a never-ending circle, so not a single second was wasted. They were brought up with the raw strength of time in an untempered form, they were taught the value of every grain of time spent and unspent.

But sometimes he just wanted time off.

Theta Sigma, as he was known here, smiled as he strolled past the buildings of the Academy. 'Time off' was a concept a fair few people understood around here. The need for nothing. Young as he was, he had already learned that something would always come to him when he searched for nothing. And that something was usually more interesting than the something the masters wanted to teach him.

Theta retrieved a gomi from his pocked and polished the fruit on his sleeve, before he bit through the red skin and into the juicy berry.

Lately that something that been someone. Someone who had not shown himself, but Theta could sense his presence. At first he had been afraid it was one of the masters, having finally caught up with him. But all that time no reprisal came and his flights continued to stay unnoticed. He had decided to leave the mysterious other be.

He passed the gate unnoticed and walked away from the Academy grounds. He felt free again.

Picking up the pace, Theta quickly left the Academy behind him. The hills of red grass stretching out all around him reminded him of his home, of that of his childhood friend. It reminded him of Mount Perdition.

He found his favourite vantage point, high on the hillside, and laid down, a blade of grass between his teeth. The first sun had set, its twin would follow soon. Then the stars would start to come out. Planets, constellations, cascades as far as the eye could see. He knew all about them and yet on nights like these he wondered. Life, time, its passing. They were just theories to him. Theories he knew as well as any and better than most.

Out there it was real.

"Thete."

Theta sat up and looked around, at the slender dark-haired boy standing behind him.

"Kos." The name was as familiar to him as his own, but his voice was carefully neutral.

The other flashed him a grin, apparently unconcerned. "Still dreaming of the stars?"

Koschei crouched down next to Theta, looking from him to the sky and back.

Theta shrugged. "Always."

"Hm."

Koschei sat back and stared into the sunset of the second sun.

Theta regarded his onetime friend. There was something restless about him, a tinge of madness that had not been there before. Or maybe it had.

Theta had made a deal with Death once, but Koschei danced with him, making no promises, but following his own steps. It was a dance of knives.

It had taught Theta to be wary. "What do you want, Kos?"

Koschei propped up on one elbow and regarded him with a frown. "The masters sent me."

"Why?" Theta fought to keep his voice level. Surely if they knew about his leaving the Academy grounds they would do something about it. They could only have suspicions.

"To keep an eye on you, your whereabouts, whatever. They chose me and I pretended to listen."

"That sounds like you. What did you tell them?"

"As of yet? Nothing." The frown changed into a taunting half smile.

Theta let himself fall back into the grass. He knew this particular dance.

"What do you want?" He tried to sound exasperated, but instead he found himself smiling.

"Oh, let's just say I like the peace and quiet here. And I have missed your company."

The smile disappeared. "You know perfectly well why that is."

Koschei laughed. "I know, I know. But if this is your no-time, let's call it a truce. Then you can loathe and despise me as much as you want back home."

His eyes shone with false sincerity, but with his hair tucked behind his ears and that same slight smile he also looked decidedly attractive. It had always been his advantage.

"And what would be in it for me?"

"My company of course." Almost as an afterthought Koschei added. "Plus I won't tell the masters where to find you."

Theta mulled it over, though there really wasn't much to decide on. He didn't want to miss his hideout and he had missed Koschei's company as well.

He would give in, he always did.

Theta rolled around and rested his head on his hands. "You win."

Koschei returned his smile with a triumphant grin, and leaned in for and eager, bruising kiss. "Then the stars can wait and I will teach you what is real."

Theta grinned. "Yes, master."


End file.
